Resilient seat



sept. 29, 1931,

w. COMERFORD RESILIENT SEAT Filed Aug. 28, 1929 WML/4M Co/vmfoko yPatented Slept. 29, .1931' UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM consuman, or :BU-Frm, Naw Yonx BSI'LIENT SEAT y Application ledAugust 28, 1929. Serial No, 388,929.

which springs having substantially a uniformly increasing spring effectare arrang- `ed with backs likewise provided with springs of uniformcompressional resistance. Ac-

cording to the present invention, however, the seat and back areprovided with spring supporting members whose resistance increases bygreater than an arithmetical ratio lnwith respect to `the-.load imposedand according to the distance of movement of the seat or back. j o.

An illustrative form of practicing the invention is set forth 'on theaccompanying drawings, in which the invention is represented as appliedlto an automobile seat. In these drawings:

VFigure 1 is an end view of such a seat and ack" v Fig. 2 is a rear theseat and back.

Fig. 3 is a correspondingplan lview of the seat and back, `withoutunholstery. l. Fig. 4 is 'a detail view of a seat arm. F`g. 5 is adetail view showing the arrangement of the `plural seat springs.

lifig; 6 is a detail view showing a back sprmg. p

`According to the present invention, the seat comprlses .a substantiallyrigid base 'member to support the upholstery, this base member beingresiliently mounted on axed bracket with^ a plurality of springsconnected view of the assembly of In the drawings, the floor 1 0,illustrated as relative downthe seat. Similarly, a

.the -base member 23 Asecurely bolted thereto by bolts 24.

ying the striking receive the lower ends` of the back springs; 30

therebetween so that the vsprings successively the seat and provided thefloor of an automobile,has mounted thereon a plurality of supportingbrackets 11, which are respectively fastened to the floor by screws 12,the upper ends of the bracket supporting a pivot tube-13,,form- 5o ingvthe axis of movement for a plurality of seat supporting arms 14extending from front *to rearfof the seat and as- Y' tened to the base'member 15 ofthe seat bythe securing bolts 16. In the particular 65illustration, the central seat arm 14 is shorter` than the others, inview. of the formation of the base member 15 of front, rear and sidemembers with a space therebetween. The brackets near their tops thespring stop bars 17, 17a

y at front and back, secured to the brackets 11 by bolts 18, andprovided on their adjacent or inwardly directed faces with-V felt stripsto prevent rattling of the springs.

c5 At the rear end of the base 'member 151,

l of the seat is supported the back arm 14a opposite the short front arm14l and havin 'L an eye at its rear end inealinemlent with the -eyes ofthe longer seat arms 14,k whereby to support the back pivot tube 21.This back/ pivot tubevcarries tlie pivotal members 22 having theupstanding back arms to support of the back, and beingy The seat basemember 15 likewise is fixedly connected by bolts 27 to a downwardly nand rearwardly extending bracket 26 havplates 25, 25a thereon to i thesestriking plates 25, 25a being likewise provided with felt strips toprevent rattling.

A plurality of front` lori-seat springs is provided, each hvingdownwardly extendsprings are arranged three in tbe? 11 likewisesupport 60 v illustrative form shown, one member of each set beingalways in contact with the bottom of the seat base member 15, while theother members 30d and 30e of each seat have slightly more acute anglesso that they are normally free of this seat member when the seat isunoccupied, in which condition the upper member 30a only supports theweight of the seat and back. `As weight is brought upon the seat S, thebase member 15 is caused to rock in a clockwise direction about thefront pivot 13, so that the base member is brought successively againstthe spring members 30d, and then against the spring members 30o as theload increases. The torsional resistanceof each of these members may beregarded as increasing practically in arithmetical progressionzso thatfor the first portion of this downward movement, a slight frictionalresistance by the spring 30a is imposed, enough to'give an easy yieldingand return for apsmall downward movement. When the seat base 15 picks upthe spring members 30?) a greater resistance is imposed, and finallywhen the seat member 15 picks up the last spring members 300, therresistance is very great, since the spring members 30a and 301; havebeen. increased in arithmetical progression, and have assisted oneanother in 'succession and are now assisted by they spring members 300.Similarly, the' rear or` back springs are provided with the downwardlyextending arms 31 received between the eltstrips on the stop bars 25,25a; with coils 32 passing around the rear pivot tube 21, and with the`upwardlyextending arms 33a, 33?), 330 disposed successively at diierentangles in each set of three as illustrated. In 'the same manner as forthe seat, a slightly backward pressure upon the back upholstery T causesthe movement of the base member 23 of the back with the irst sprin s 33aof each set, giving an eas yieldinge ect for this slight movement. soonas the springs 33?) are taken up, a greater resistance is occasioned,and finally lwhen the springs 330'are taken up, an increase far greaterthan the normal resistance of a simple spring is produced. f Theseat andback may be provided witl the usual upholstery S and T as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1. i

It is preferred to limit the upward movement of the` base member 15 ofthe seat to maintain a slight initial tensionnpon the irst springs 30a,by the provision ofy strip members'40 connected aroundthe tube 21 and tothe iioor 10 of the vehicle. Similarly, straps 42 are provided to passaround thisV tube and prevent excessive forward movement of the backbase member 23,'being attached by bolts 43 to thebase member 23'oftheback and by suitable means to the underside of the seat base member 15.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the form ofconstruction illustrated, but that it may be modied in many ways withinthe scope of the appended claims.

What Iv claim as new by Letters Patent is:

1. A resiliently supported seat comprising fixed Hoor-supported members,a pivot mounted on said fixed members, a seat on said pivot, and aplurality of sets of springs each having a central coil surrounding saidpivot, a depending end engaged by said fixed members, and a rearwardlydirected end engageable with said seat, one spring of each set beingnormally engaged with the seat, and the other springs of. the sets beingsuccessively engaged by the seat in its ownward rocking movement.

2. A resilient seat comprising `fixed floor brackets, a seat and a back,said seat belng pivoted to said brackets and said back pivoted tosaidseat, in combination with .pluralities of sets off seat and backsprings,each of said springs having projecting ends, one end of each seatspringbeing secured to the Hoor brackets and the other ends beinglocated in the path of movement of the seat, one spring of each set ofseat springs being normally engaged with the seat and the othersnormally free therefrom and spaced apart so that they are successivelyengaged as the seat is rockedvag'ainst the resi-lient yielding of saidrespective irst springs, each of said back springs having one oi 1tsends engaged xedly with its seat and the other end located in the pathof movement of the back,one spring of each set of back s rings beingnormally engaged with the bac and the .others normally free therefrom,said other springs'being successively engaged as the back is rocked aainst the resilient yielding of the r'st bac springs.

3. A seat as in claim 2, with means to maintain said seat engaged withsaidrst seat springs under a normal initial tension.

4.. A resiliently supportedbackand seat and `desire to secureconstruction comprising a seat member, a

pivot mounted onl said 'seat member, a back member mounted` on saidpivot and a plurality of sets of springs each having a center 'coilsurrounding said pivot and engaged by saidseat, and another endengacgleable with said back, onesset having its sai other end engagedwith other ends of the other springs belng located in the path ofmovement of said back and spaced at different ldistances therefrom whenthe back member is in unoccupied position whereby they are successivelyengaged by the back in -its rocking movement.

5, A resiliently supported back and seat constructioncomprisin a firstmember, ,a pivot supported on sai first member, a second member mountedlon said pivot, a plurality of "sets of springs each having a censaidback normally and the' tral coil surrounding said pivot and a pair ofends directed radlally with respect to said pivot, one of said ends ofeach spring being fxedly engaged with one of' said members and heldthereby, the second end of one of said sets being normally engaged withsaid other member, the other springs of each set being normallydisengaged from said other member and located in the path thereof atspaced intervals so that they are successively engaged by said othermember during the rocking movement thereof.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM COMERFORD.

